In the Premier League, it is undoubtedly clear that Tottenham Hotspur have had a much better campaign than Arsenal. They have guaranteed themselves a finish above Arsenal at the end of the season for the first time since 1995.
Additionally, Tottenham have been the only team to challenge Chelsea for the title this late in the season. Spurs have already improved last year’s tally by seven points, illustrating how strong they have been this season in the league.
However, does finishing above the Gunners for one year out of 22 mean there is a power shift between the two north London sides?
If Arsenal are to somehow miraculously finish in the top four and, due to their record against Chelsea in recent years, miraculously win the FA cup, who will have been more successful this season?
Yes, it’s hypothetical, but Tottenham have now more than nine years without a trophy of any sort. That is longer than Arsenal went in a time where they were repeatedly lambasted by the media for going such a long time without tasting glory.
In those nine years, Tottenham have had players such as Rafael Van Der Vaart, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and more recently Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli. But, they have still had no success. Additionally, they have only finished inside the top four on just four occasions since their Carling Cup win in 2008, including this season. Whereas since 2008, Arsenal have won two FA cups and have qualified for the Champions League every single year.
Tottenham had a good opportunity to end their drought and win that elusive trophy this year in the FA Cup. Despite their dominance throughout the FA Cup semi-final, their defence seemed to buckle, conceding four goals. At the start of the game that would have seemed impossible for everybody who has watched that strong Spurs defence this season. This suggests the pressure they felt trying to end the trophy drought.
Even though Arsenal finished in second place and above their bitter rivals last season, many people, even the Gooners, would argue Tottenham were a much better team last year. Therefore, Tottenham fans may say to Arsenal fans, ‘but we have had two better seasons now, we’re going in a better direction’, which may be correct.
However, in the 21 years Arsenal have spent above Tottenham, the Gunners have won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups. One higher finish and one better season certainly don't represent a ‘power shift’.
Finishing above Arsenal for one season doesn’t make Tottenham a bigger club. As good as Alli, Eriksen and Kane are, they still aren’t the same as having talented players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez on your side. Two players who have represented Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Can Spurs attract better players than Arsenal? It’s unlikely. They pay lower wages and have a very young squad. To buy a top player from Barcelona or Real Madrid like Arsenal have with both Sanchez and Ozil, it would mean Daniel Levy would have to disrupt the current wage structure, which he would be reluctant to do.
Even if money is not the issue, this Tottenham side also failed to make it through the Champions League group stage. On the other hand, Arsenal, despite having trouble in the last 16 (mainly because they almost always face Barcelona or Bayern Munich) regularly make it through the group stage and have more experience at the top level with their players.
Now, it is not set in stone that the Gunners will scrape the top four and play Champions League football next year, as well as win the FA Cup. And, it will still not be seen by Arsenal fans as a successful season but more of ‘papering over the cracks’.
Moreover, Tottenham are currently playing the more refreshing and exciting football between the two sides and have guaranteed their place above their rivals, which gives Spurs the bragging rights over their north London rivals.
However, Spurs have a noticeable problem when it comes to playing on big pitches. Their home pitch for the forthcoming season will be Wembley Stadium, a pitch they have built up a lot of bad memories from. In this season alone at Wembley, they lost an FA Cup semi-final as well as getting knocked out of both the Champions League and the Europa League.
It would seem logical to at least wait until the end of next season to see whether a ‘power shift’ has really taken place in north London.
